


Monster Falls Gone Wrong

by Unimpressively_Me (AnonymousUniKid)



Category: Gravity Falls, Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Monster Falls (Gravity Falls), Angst, Cervitaur Dipper Pines, Connie is the only human in a town of monsters, Corrupted Steven Universe, Fluff and Angst, Kinda, Panic Attacks, Post-Steven Universe Future, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Sphinx Ford, Steven Universe Has PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Unitaur Mabel Pines, Worm Steven, gargoyle Stan, hmm, su gf, summer job AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-06-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:54:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24268519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnonymousUniKid/pseuds/Unimpressively_Me
Summary: (ON HIATUS)Steven felt frozen as he stared at his reflection in the stream. When Dipper had come back to the shack in a completely different body- at least for his bottom half- because he'd fallen into some weird stream, he hadn't really thought about what would happen if he fell victim to the same thing. When the rest of the workers at the Mystery Shack started changing, too, eventually deducing it was something in the water, he'd hoped his gem would just purge any possibility of it happening to him. But now he stood, shaking and heart pounding, unable to tear his eyes away from..The reflection in the water stared back at him, a figure he had only seen in broken memories. Pink, scaly, horns and glowing eyes. Albeit smaller than he'd been when he'd been corrupted, and with a control of his own mind and body he hadn't had before.
Relationships: Connie Maheswaran/Steven Universe
Comments: 51
Kudos: 310





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi it's 5am, this is ubetaed and a very hot take on SU GF but Monster Falls AU. Its probably unrealistic and messy af but nevertheless I hope you enjoy!!  
> **UPDATE 02/01/2020 - I've put this fic officially on hiatus, unfortunately. I've been working on another crossover fic on the side bc I can no longer get the motivation to work on this one. I don't plan to drop this eternally, though, and I have a plot pretty much figured out.

Steven felt frozen as he stared at his reflection in the stream. When Dipper had come back to the shack in a completely different body- at least for his bottom half- because he'd fallen into some weird stream, he hadn't really thought about what would happen if he fell victim to the same thing. When the rest of the workers at the Mystery Shack started changing, too, eventually deducing it was something in the water, he'd hoped his gem would just purge any possibility of it happening to him. Or, at least, he'd hoped he'd be changed to something normal. But now he stood, shaking and heart pounding, unable to tear his eyes away from..

The reflection in the water stared back at him, a figure he had only seen in broken memories. Pink, scaly, horns and glowing eyes. Albeit smaller than he'd been when he'd been corrupted, and with a control of his own mind and body he hadn't had before. The noises that left his throat were animalistic, stuttered whining noises that were so unfamiliar to him he'd barely recognized it was even coming from him. He slapped a clawed hand to his throat, the world around him seemingly fading to a buzz in the back of his mind as he felt his panic take over.

He hadn't realized he'd lowered himself to the ground until he felt a hand touch his shoulder. He flinched away violently, a low growl picking up which he felt ashamed of deep down but right now it was instinct talking. The person who'd extended a hand had recoiled, a golden furred and six fingered hand held up in a placating manner. Even crouched as he was, Steven reached his shoulders in height. His eyes jerked up to look at his assailant, and it didn't take a lot of effort to lock onto the face of the sphinx with facial features shockingly familiar. Familiar enough that Steven felt a little bit of control come back to him over his panic, and he narrowed in on the movements of the man's lips. Gradually, the ringing and buzzing faded until he could make out the man's words.

"-ven. Are you with us Steven? Can you hear me? You're safe, Steven. Take deep breaths," the man accentuated the motions of breathing in and holding for a few seconds before breathing out, a pattern which Steven latched onto as best as he could. A few minutes passed with the two synchronizing breathing patterns. Advice from his own therapist started coming to mind the more his panic ebbed, telling him to focus on the world around him instead of the current… state of his body. His eyes darted around to the folk who stood at a distance, clearly having been told to give him some space. While the new transformations gave him pause, the bystanders' faces remained human enough to be recognizable. Mabel stood on four white legs and a horn that oddly enough didn't look out of place for the eccentric girl, Dipper leaning into her side; the boy had more experience walking with four legs, though not by much, and it was clear he was helping his sister stand. Stanley looked.. very much the same, but with gray, stoney skin and wings and horns. He was looking in another direction, discomfort evident but holding concern that anyone could pick up on if they looked hard enough. A wolfish Wendy- who he hadn't recognized by face, but instead by outfit- was helping a muddy Soos stay together, glancing in his direction every once in awhile. Almost everyone was accounted for, except one which meant..

"Ford?" Steven croaked, voice shaky and gravelly enough that he flinched at the sound of it. His clawed fingers curled in the dirt. The man's eyes softened with relief.

"Yes, it's me. I'm glad to see you're back with us," there was a pause as his eyes trailed to Steven's horns and teeth, and it was clear he wanted to ask a few questions- probably about what he was. Just the thought of it made Steven's stomach queasy, and his heart skipped a beat. He shakily pushed himself to his feet, feeling his legs wobble underneath him.

"Are you okay?" Dipper's voice softly queried from the side. Guilt picked at Steven's already nauseous stomach.

"I'm-" Steven cut himself off before the knee-jerk reaction of _I'm fine_ could finish, which was something he'd been working on with his therapist, "I'll.. be fine."

But would he be??

He felt exhausted; everyone around him was worried because of him again, and everytime he caught a glimpse of his reflection he felt his world stutter and crack even more. He was barely holding himself together enough to assure them he was okay, but he didn't really _feel_ okay, and by the glances being exchanged by the Pines, he knew they knew he wasn't okay. He squared his shoulders, "I'll be fine." He reaffirmed. _I have to be fine._

"Well.. if you're sure," Ford broke the awkward silence that followed, "why don't you and the kids head back to the Shack while Stan and I make sure the townsfolk aren't freaking out?" Steven felt a new wave of guilt, this time at the fact that he was the only one keeping them from helping out the townsfolk. However, he didn't let his demeanor show his self-loathing this time as he took a deep breath and nodded.

"Sure! It uh, sounds like a plan _Stans_." He put as much faux cheerfulness as he could into the statement. A fake smile, though probably a little more daunting considering his appearance, didn't hurt. He saw both Stans' mouths thin into that type of frown you get after saying a particularly bad joke, a motion so synchronized that only twins could pull it off, but they didn't say anything. Steven's smile tightened a little, they didn't buy it, but then Mabel snorted and started pointing out how funny the pun was, and he knew that he was off the hook for now.

He dusted himself off as the five of them got ready to head back to their temporary lodging, cringing when a few scraps of his now-shredded pink jacket fell from his shoulders. Naturally, nothing seemed to be on his side. He supposed since it wasn't technically a gem thing this time, the state of his clothes wasn't spared from his spontaneous growth. With a frustrated grunt he shook the rest of his tattered jacket off of him and dislodging his sandals from his claws. The hum of his gem rung in his ears and he took a few deep breaths to prevent any pink episodes- something he'd encountered a lot less after beginning therapy- and then he bent down to grab his sandals. He let them hang loosely off of his pointer and middle finger on his left hand as he propped his other arm against his side. He ignored the whiplash feeling scales gave his mind as he beckoned for them to begin the journey.

They hadn't made it five steps before Ford called Dipper to hang back for a moment. Steven furrowed his brows but after a shrug from Mabel, he took over for Dipper being her crutch.

* * *

"Dipper," Ford began once he was sure Steven and co. were out of earshot, "I know you're probably curious about Steven's appearance- I am too! I have yet to encounter a creature like him in any of my studies, which is admittedly rare- but his reaction.. I don't think it was just the shock of being different suddenly."

Dipper sagged into a serious stance, picking at the hem of his shirt nervously. "You think he has experienced the creature before?"

Ford nodded. "He's experienced whatever it was before, and I'm willing to bet it wasn't a good time. Just," he sighed heavily, "leave the poor kid alone? Don't pry. You have access to the internet, so make use of that if you absolutely have to dig into this. But don't go interrogating him."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Steven panics (again)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo!!  
> Against data from literally every other fic I've attempted, y'all convinced my motivation to continue with this. I guess I just have so many ideas and I'm so so happy youse all like what I've written so far!!

It had been four days since the Change. The Pines' had insisted he stay over at the Shack until everyone got settled to their new normal, but Steven was quick to realize that boarding with the Pines was way too grating on his mental health. He hadn't really expected better- no, with two brainiacs and two humans with no regards to personal boundaries living under the same roof as him, he'd never considered that he'd be  _ comfortable _ . He had just hoped it'd be bearable. Except, unsurprisingly, it wasn't. 

He'd been putting up with Mabel's constant appraisal about how pretty his pink skin is ( _ he'd barely repressed a glowing episode _ ), Stan suggesting he become some sort of attraction at the shack ( _ a monster, he'd spent the next two hours in his room going over advice from his therapist and reminding himself he wasn't a monster _ ), and while Soos had taken to denying that one too ("Sorry, dudes, this Mr. Mystery doesn't force friends into becoming cheap money-making attractions," Soos had shut Stan down while Steven was still spiraling, "Gravity Falls provides enough monsters to cover that part of the business."), Soos had also taken to comparing him to several creatures from the media, like Godzilla. Dipper would stare at him as if he was an unsolved puzzle when he thought Steven wasn't looking, only to go back to tip-tapping on his laptop if Steven looked back at him. To his credit, he had refrained from prying, but Steven knew that he  _ really _ wanted to ask. It was just what the boy was like, unfortunately or fortunately. He figured Ford had given him a talking to about giving him some space- and Ford himself was barely better than Dipper was. Steven felt his stomach coil uncomfortably as he thought about the sketch he'd seen of himself in Ford's newest notebook, something he'd glanced only by pure chance as Ford had been leafing through the pages.

He hadn't said anything to any of them. He couldn't bring himself to, which was another thing he mentally kicked himself over. Not confronting things that upset him was what led to his corruption, and it was something he had been improving upon. But the entire town was in a state of disarray and confusion, and the teen couldn't justify bringing his own problems into the mix. 

Which was what led him to today. He gripped his shoulder bag as tightly as he could without risking tearing it with his claws, his shoulders forcibly relaxed as he walked through the living area, crossing the threshold towards the exit. He smiled as he saw Mabel waiting for him, and he moved close enough so that she could give him a great, Mabel-esque hug without having to trip over her own hooves to get to him. Steven chuckled. 

"You know I'm not going, like, for forever, right?" The half-gem stated as he pulled away from the hug. "I'm literally just going back to my trailer. I still work here."

"I knowwww!" Mabel whined. "But it was so much fun having a four day sleepover with everyone. You're leaving now and Wendy's going back to her family's house later tonight. Who next? Soos? Dipper?? Oh, how good things come to an end so soon! I didn't even get to bedazzle your horns!"

Steven blinked. Sure enough, the young teen's singular horn was covered in rhinestones of various shape and color. It was unsettling how close they looked to Gems, a thought that made Steven's mind roll back to the various times he'd cradled his poofed friends and family. He hastily looked away, hoping the moment of tension went unnoticed. He nudged Mabel's shoulder, laughing good-naturedly. "Maybe another day. I.. have a feeling these horns aren't going anywhere."

Another reason he found himself leaving so abruptly; almost everything here in one way or another led to one of his triggers. It ashamed him to admit it, but he couldn't even stomach hanging around the plants that grew around the Shack lately, especially that one out of place cactus. He  _ really _ didn't know how it got there, and neither did anybody else he'd asked. At least his trailer wasn't surrounded by any greenery except for trees and bushes. Additionally, he couldn't reasonably cover every reflective surface in the Shack, which was something he'd admittedly already done to his trailer. He was never vain before, but something inside him kept making him look at himself any chance he got. He likened it to when you know you have a bruise, and yet you still keep poking at it. When he'd gotten like that in front of a mirror or a glossy window, it was way too hard to break out of it himself. It was like some sort of self-hatred trance. But not really. He didn't hate himself, just how he looked right now. And even then only because it quite literally resurfaced all of his trauma in one way or another.

Steven shuddered, turning to face the others, wincing as his tail hit the wall with a semi-painful thud. Stan had seemingly winced too, having gotten used to Steven's new limb wrecking the place. Luckily, he figured, this time it was a wall instead of the easily-breakable legs of the kitchen table. Didn't mean his newfound instincts didn't scream at the 'attack' on his dwelling, though.

"... Ignoring that, uh," Steven began, "I'm free to just.. leave, right? I didn't leave anything, you guys don't have any last minute tasks for me or anything?"

"Yes, go! Yeesh, it'll be good only having to worry about Sixer's tail knocking over the goods," Stan teased, before coughing as he was elbowed by his twin, "I mean- take care of yourself, kid."

Ford rolled his eyes at his brother. He muttered something about tact, before clearing his throat. He turned his attention to Steven, concern evident in his eyes. His tail flicked behind him, "You know you're more than welcome to stay. This change is difficult on all of us, there's absolutely no shame in needing a, uh, support system." 

Steven's jaw clenched, guilt picking at his stomach along with sheer discomfort at the thought of staying another day, but he had to admit he did feel a little warm inside that he cared that much. For a long while, his own family was nowhere near that level of awareness regarding Steven's mental health. It was good to know that he'd made enough of an impression that the Pines actually wanted to be around him to make sure he was okay. Steven hummed noncommittally before smiling tightly at the sphinx.

"Thanks, but no thanks. Really, I'll be okay. I've got a good support system already," he paused, "not that you guys wouldn't be a good support system! If, if that's what you were implying. Were you implying that? Oh, god-"

"Steven, it's fine!" Dipper interrupted the teen's spiralling. Steven's mouth clicked shut- he was glad his tusks were an underbite, because if they were fangs instead he was sure he'd have bitten his tongue  _ somehow _ . "You're good. Good go go, too, but I meant; we knew what you were trying to say."

"Yeah, and we're glad that you  _ do _ have someone!" Mabel added. She bounced on her hooves a little, truly selling her enthusiasm. Don't get her wrong, she  _ was _ relieved that Steven had someone to lean on, but having been there during his breakdown and in the aftermath, she couldn't help but be worried.

Steven glanced at them all, opening his mouth to say something but evidently not finding the right words. He settled for an acknowledging nod before blurting, "Okay, I should go now- bye!" and all but dashing out of the Shack.

The Pines (and co) collectively blinked, lapsing into a moment of silence. A few seconds passed before Wendy coughed.

"Wait, doesn't Steven, like, live alone?" She questioned, "Dude's never even called someone, at least around us."

* * *

Connie patted Lion as she hopped off from his back. She'd had him portal them just outside of Gravity Falls- Steven had warned her about the barrier that surrounded the place, and neither of them were willing to risk Lion getting trapped inside ( _ with Steven _ , she added mentally). In all honesty, neither of them had planned for her to visit, hence the lack of normal transportation. But Steven had ghosted their weekly video chat, and hadn't even  _ read _ her messages thereafter. It left an uneasy feeling in her gut she couldn't shake. They'd been working on communication, and had made promises not to push each other away,  _ especially _ if he was having an episode. And he'd done so well so far that just completely disappearing digitally absolutely worried her.

The teen fixed Lion with a stare; "Do NOT enter the barrier, Lion. This line, do not cross it. If you cross it, I cannot guarantee you a single Lion Licker after that. Is that what you want?" To which Lion let out a low rumbling whine. Connie leant forward and scratched his mane gently. She didn't like to threaten her companion like this, but she knew the Lion was a bit.. spiteful sometimes. Whatever they wanted him to do, he'd do the opposite. And she couldn't chance that, not here.

Sighing, she backed away from the pink Lion, pulling up the Boogle Maps that Steven had sent her when he first settled down in Gravity Falls. He didn't technically have an address so what he'd sent was really just a screenshot of the area with a dot and small doodle of himself marking where he'd parked his trailer. Looking back on it, she was upset she hadn't asked for more back then, but back then it had been funny and so Steven-like. 

The walk was long, as was to be expected since there were many reasons Steven couldn't park right by the barrier, but she power walked through as much of it as she could. Coming upon a trail, Connie matched it to that on the map she had and followed until she could break away in the direction of Steven's trailer. Every few minutes she'd pause to make sure she was still on track, before attempting to call Steven again. Each unanswered call only made her walk faster.

Finally, she found herself squinting at a landmark that was recognizable, and she broke through the undergrowth to a small, off-road clearing that was probably meant for camping. The Dondai was parked by a post, and the trailer she'd helped his dad pick out for him was stationed a few feet away from it. 

So, he was home. 

Her uneasiness grew and she walked briskly up towards the trailer. There were a few things that really set in stone that something was wrong; Steven's flip-flops were resting on the welcome mat, which was weird because the teen almost  _ never _ went without them, even indoors; to the left of that, she managed to glimpse the familiar fabric of his signature jacket in shreds, thrown carelessly into the trash can along with what looked to be a mangled pillow. All of the windows on the trailer were covered with blankets on the inside, and the mirrors at the front were spun to face away from it. 

_ What happened? _

She raised a hand to knock on the door, before jumping as a frustrated yell resonated from inside the trailer. Heart leaping into her throat, Connie seized the door handle, throwing open the (unlocked, she would usually notice) door.

"Steven?!" The sight in front of her was very startling. The trailer itself was trashed, some of the appliances cracked in a very familiar way and seemingly every shirt from the closet on the floor. But what really made her inhale harshly was Steven. Steven but.. pink. Scaly. Horned.

Corrupted.

Kind of? 

Her brain stuttered confusedly as it tried to grasp the situation. He would have told her if he was feeling anything like he had before the Incident, right? It would be impossible for this development to go unnoticed, wouldn't it?

The teen at the focus of her attention had yelped when she came barging in, jerking out of the resigned hunch he'd been in before.

"Connie?!" He sputtered. "Wh- you, I. Ah-" he gasped, whining in such a nonhuman way that he felt more frustration rise. "W-why are you here??"

Hearing his voice, if a bit grumbly, brought her back from the shock slightly. "You weren't answering my calls or my texts, you missed our video chat- Steven I was worried- what is going on? How are you.."  _ this? _

"Oh, shit-" he hissed at the first portion, whipping around to fumble for his phone. It'd been dead for the last four days, being the least of his worries lately. He felt Connie's stare boring into him and tensed, remembering his appearance. Unfortunately. He dropped his phone on the bed, gripping his left tusk absentmindedly- a habit he'd picked up. His hands were glowing pink. Releasing the tusk and letting the pressure pulling down on his jaw ease up, he turned back around, avoiding eye contact.

"I- sorry, I really didn't mean to.. to worry you," he stated guiltily, "It's just, so much has happened and I'm- I've gotta admit I'm sort of, like, freaking out; you're freaking out too and it's-" he cut himself off with another whine. The pink glow continued as he began to hyperventilate, the hum of his gem ringing loudly in his ears.

“Steven! Steven,” Connie closed the distance between them, placing her hands on his shoulders, “breathe. You’re safe. C'mon, breathe with me, okay?"

She guided one of his clawed hands to the center of her chest, breathing in a way that would help him slow his hyperventilating. She knew from experience it was one of the more successful grounding techniques, the other being that of taking in his surroundings slowly and having him describe them in detail. However, with the state of ruin his trailer was in, she thought it maybe would not be the best thing to have him focusing on it.

As he came down from his panic, Connie leaned forward, letting him collapse into her arms in a much-needed hug. She pressed a kiss to the bridge of his nose, a motion that had become a staple comforting motion after his corruption that neither saw it as strictly romantic, unlike most bystanders who happen to see the exchange. Right now, it was startlingly familiar to the origin of the gesture, but she couldn't allow herself to freak out.

"I'm sorry.." he mumbled, head still bent against hers. His tusks and horns framed her face with a wide gap, enough that they were easily ignorable but still present in her line of sight. The two leant back, neither breaking the hug, though, even as Connie tilted his head such that they could look each other in the eyes.

"Don't apologize," Connie stated, "you can't control how you feel.  _ I'm  _ sorry, though; I should have considered how you were coping with.. this, even if it was shocking. It was pretty rude of me to stare like that, huh?"

Steven grumbled. "If I can't apologize, neither can you."

Connie chuckled and the two pulled away from each other. Steven allowed himself to turn and pace back to his bed, sinking onto the thin mattress with a sigh of exhaustion. A few moments went by as he tried to position himself in a way he wasn't squishing his tail, eventually deciding to pull the limb around his waist and into his lap. He propped his elbows on top of it, careful that both sets of spikes didn't stab himself (which, since his skin was a lot tougher now, he didn't think would do much damage anyways), holding his hands in front of him. The last few flickers of a pink glow faded out before his eyes, causing him to sigh in relief. 

He felt the mattress dip slightly as Connie took a seat next to him. Steven carefully shifted his arms so that his spikes were facing away from her.

"A lot happened since our last call, huh?" Connie broke the silence. Steven glanced at her from the corner of his eye; she had her arms propping her up, leaning back and staring at the ceiling. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"I kind of have to, don't I?" Steven exhaled. He quickly continued, cutting off Connie as she made to refute that statement, "You remember me telling you about how Dipper, uh, became half deer or something??"

"Yeah, and I almost called you crazy. If it were not for literally anything gem-related, I'd have thought you were pulling my leg." Connie's attempt at humor was not lost on him as he cracked a smile. He pretended not to feel the way his smile pulled around his tusks, the feeling akin to having a straw sticking from his mouth that he couldn't remove. It was natural for his current body, sure, but his mind picked up on it as if it were a foreign object.

"Yeah. Sounds about right. Well, we were able to determine that it was this weird stream in the woods. Unfortunately, we found out the hard way.  _ Someone _ let the stream into the water reserves of the town and before we knew it, people were changing."

"Into cervitaurs?" Connie interrupted. At Steven's confused glance, she reiterated, "Half-deer?"

"No- that's, uh, just Dipper to my knowledge. Though, I suppose Mabel's close? She's, like, half unicorn. The rest were all pretty random. Like creatures out of the books you lent me two summers ago."

Connie let out a quiet 'ah'.

"I.. hoped that my gem would take care of it. But apparently it decided to keep its trend of completely ruining my life." Steven gestured at himself. "God, it shouldn't even hit me this hard; I've never even myself like this firsthand. It's just.."

"Upsetting?" Connie filled in. She mentally noted that he'd seen this version of himself  _ somewhere _ , and she was willing to bet Ronaldo had taken a video. "You have every right to react like this, Steven. Just because you don't  _ remember _ everything, it doesn't mean you can't be affected by it. No matter how you look at this, it's going to be trying, so please don't invalidate yourself."

Steven tensed his shoulders. "I'm not trying to!" He hissed, the words tainted with the low rumblings of a growl he didn't mean to let slip. "But, it's hard not to feel guilty. Especially when everyone treats you like you'll break if the wind blows too hard, or when they're watching you like you're some scientific wonder. It's so hard not to feel like a m.. a m-monster, when everyone else regards me as one."

"Steven-"

"And then I think, hey, maybe everything would be better if I could just shapeshift back to normal, but it feels so  _ wrong  _ and who knows what the backlash of staying shapeshifted would be, considering," he gestured angrily to himself again, "not to mention, what would I tell the Pines?"

Connie placed a hand on his arm, "Steven." She tried again. Her eyes slid down to his scales, noting the pink glow starting to return. Steven followed her gaze, feeling even more overwhelmed as he saw what she'd focused on. Her gaze snapped away guiltily, but the damage was already done.

"And- and, I can't even go five minutes without going  _ pink _ anymore!" He threw his arms up, shaking Connie's hand off of him and narrowly missing her with his spikes, a fact that made him shift slightly more away from her. He drew his legs up to his chest, putting his head down in his arms. His tail fell to the mattress, draping off of it and just barely scraping against the floor. "I finally felt like a normal teen for once, like- how things were before, but without gem issues. Of course, a half-gem like me can't ever have that."

He closed his eyes tightly, trying to ignore the now vibrant pink glow emanating from his body. He huffed a few heavy breaths, counting in his head as he tried to convince his mind it wasn't a life-or-death situation.

"I feel like I'm losing all my progress." Steven mumbled into his arms.

Connie hovered her hand over his shoulder, scooting closer to him on the bed. She moved her hand to his back, letting it rest between his spines. "You're not losing progress. Progress isn't linear, you're allowed to have down days." She pulled him into a gentle, one-armed hug, being mindful enough to leave him enough wiggle room to break the embrace if it was too overwhelming. 

Steven leaned into her hug for the second time that day, though he kept his legs pressed firmly to his chest. His tail curled and unfurled a few times, betraying his frustration.

Connie took that as her cue to continue. "The way people have treated you... they had no right to act so rudely, even if they don't know anything. You're not a monster, biscuit, you never were and never will be. They were wrong to make you feel like one." 

"Your bad days don't define you. You've come so far since the incident, and I'm super duper proud of you, Steven." Her arm tightened comfortingly as she allowed the two of them to lapse into a silence. His glowing was ebbing away with every word she said, until, finally, he was glow-free. At some point he'd opened his eyes and shifted his head- still in his arms- so that he could look at her. He didn't say anything, but the look in his eyes spoke volumes of gratitude. Well, his tail also gave that away, now slowly swishing in the air.

Connie let the silence stretch a little longer. Both were content in each others' presence, enjoying the silent moments spent in good company. That was, of course, until Connie broke the silence.

"You know, if you need some time to yourself, try suggesting your camera broke," she said good-naturedly, "but, for what it's worth; I'm kinda glad you ghosted me. Because this way, I got to see you in person. Real hugs are so much warmer than air hugs."

The sheer suddenness of the statement had Steven giggling. Giggling which turned into tired, but fully needed laughter, which Connie joined in on. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> end scene
> 
> I set up for another chapter but honestly, there's no guarantee this'll continue. I don't have a good streak when it comes to updating fanfics, unfortunately. 
> 
> I hope youse enjoyed! I had a lot of fun writing this


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pure character interaction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys!!  
> I'm back with another chapter. I'm sorry it took so long, buuut someone here was falling behind in classes and had to focus on that first and foremost. And that someone is me.  
> Another 5am update because my brain really doesn't like writing at decent hours!!
> 
> I hope you enjoy,,

" _Connie?!_ " Steven's surprised voice rang out, having stopped in the doorway of the Shack to gawk at the unusual guest. He shuffled over to her, "What are you doing here?"

After having found out about her boyfriend's predicament last week, she'd helped calm him down. The two had spent the rest of the evening talking about anything and everything, but as it goes she was still bound by curfew- _especially_ as a teenaged girl visiting her boyfriend. So, she'd left, but not before getting him on the phone with the gems. Even though he wasn't quite ready to tell them about the recent.. development, it was undoubtedly nice to hear some familiar voices. Every day since, Connie had visited him; he'd taken to waiting for her at the barrier, but whether that was because he was eager to see her or because it meant she wouldn't have to walk so far, she didn't know. Probably both, she mused. He seemed happier each time she visited, until Saturday afternoon. 

The teen had waited for her by the barrier as usual, but had seemed very downtrodden. Upon questioning him, he'd revealed that since they'd made no progress on a cure, the Pines (who had taken temporary re-management of the Shack given Soos' meltiness) had decided to reopen at the start of the week, meaning Connie and his meetings had to be cancelled as he went back to work. Which led to now, with the two elder Pines standing (watching, in Stanford's case) as Connie extended her arms in a 'surprise!' manner.

"Good morning to you, too," she chuckled. "I can leave, if you don't want me here-"

"No!" Steven was quick to deny, waving his hands wildly. "No, stay! It's exciting seeing you here, I just didn't expect to see you so soon. Uhh..."

"Well," Connie began, taking the initiative to explain, "after you told me you had to go back to work, I talked it over with my Mom and we made a deal; if the Pines agreed to it, I could work at the Shack in place of normal summer camp! It took _a lot_ of convincing, but she couldn't really deny the fact that a job is really good for college applications so-"

"You're working at the Shack with me?!" Steven squealed excitedly, seizing her hands rather gently in his own. The noise was definitely more beastly than it would've been normally, but it was also so _Steven_. His tail thumped as it wagged along the floor. 

"For a few weeks, yes," Connie laughed, leaning forward to press a kiss to the bridge of his nose. She squeezed his hands, ignoring the way his claws threatened to pinch her skin as she did so. "Just the normal amount of time Camp would last."

Steven beamed at her brightly. "That's a 'few weeks' more than I ever expected! Oh my stars, Connie, I'm so excited- Wendy's always got friends coming in during work and it looks like _so_ much fun, though they have to leave if they don't buy anything, so imagine how cool it'll be to be able to hang out with my jam bud _while_ working-" he paused mid-sentence, "-wait! I have to give you a tour!" 

Without waiting for a response, the teen dropped one of her hands from his grasp and kept the other interlocked, using it to tug her over to the far corner of the shop. Connie didn't seem to mind, though; she was laughing all the while.

Stan looked at his brother. "I'm starting to think this was a mistake," he grumbled, wincing at a particularly loud thud. Ford blinked.

"He looks so much happier than he's been since the Change, Stan, even you can see that much- I don't think bringing on board his girlfriend could be a mistake," he retorted, "besides, how bad could this be?"

As if in response to his prompting, a tower of merch came crashing to the floor as an excited Steven's tail hooked into the base. Stan shot his brother a murderous look, before storming towards the two teens, "Alright, alright! Sheesh, time's a wastin'! Get to work ya troublemakers! Before ya bring down the entire shack." Steven's response was to laugh sheepishly while Connie began apologizing. 

Stan rolled his eyes, which probably didn't have the same effect, what with them being bright orbs without any pupils, but his lips tugged at a fond smile. A smile which he smothered with stern grouchiness.

"Steven! You're taking Wendy's place at the register." he barked, to Steven's astonishment.

"What? Mr. Pines, I stock the shelves-"

"Not anymore, you don't! That tail of yours is a hazard to everything." The old man cut him off, leaving out the fact that everytime that tail of his hit a wall, his own instincts took it as an attack against the establishment. He turned to Connie. "Say, kid, you any good with tricking tour groups?"

Connie tensed as the attention was turned to her. "I-"

Stan snapped his fingers. "Good! You get to take Soos’ place runnin' tours. I’d ask Steven, but, you know." 

"I'm- what? No," Connie shared an aghast look with Steven, "All due respect, sir, I don't think I'm the right fit for that job. I can barely give presentations in class without wanting to melt into a puddle-"

"You'll do fine, kid, trust me! Maybe you won't be a better storyteller than Steve-o over there," Stan gestured to the teen who had begrudgingly made his way to the register and was pressing random buttons, "kid's a natural! But people 'round these parts'll eat anything up. It's _hardly_ comparable to giving a presentation."

Connie still looked very unswayed so Stan coughed and continued, "Look; just point things out to the groups, smile, and make up stories on the go. Don't let anyone touch the attractions, and ask for money any chance you get. You'd be surprised how much tourists are willing to fork over for the stupidest things."

The teen shot him an unamused glance, "Is that all?"

Her employer hummed noncommittally, thinking about it before snapping his fingers again with an 'aha!'. "Stay away from the water! Oh, and I'm not expecting Wendy to come in till way later, but when she does, tell her she's on stock and handyman duty; job wise, and babysitting wise." He eyed Soos. "Uh, no offense."

Soos responded with a thumbs up that melted down to his shoulder a second later.

* * *

Dipper twisted his hat as he looked at his reflection in the window. He supposed he lucked out on the Change department, he thought while imagining himself with a horn like Mabel. The thought itself made him shiver; not only would getting dressed be a nightmare- Mabel had taken to wearing some old plaid button-ups that Wendy had in her closet so as to avoid ripping any of her sweaters- but he also wouldn't be able to wear his iconic hat. Yeah, no, he'd take being a simple cervitaur over a unicorn-taur any day, despite it being a tad bit embarrassing. 

Speak of the devil- a loud thump sounded out from behind him as Mabel presumably tried getting up off of her makeshift pillow bed. It'd been a week plus since she'd become a unicorn-taur, but he knew from experience that it took way longer than that to relearn how to walk entirely. Without wasting any time, he was at her side, extending a hand to his twin which she took eagerly. 

"Thanks, bro-bro," Mabel said sheepishly. "I'm like a newborn with these legs- I thought I'd gotten the hang of it but that pillow's got a nasty catch! Puts the 'ow' in 'pill-ow'..."

Dipper laughed. "So you admit I wasn't 'being dramatic' when _I_ complained, huh?"

"Phbbt-" Mabel blew a raspberry, "you were being dramatic! 'Oh, I can't stand on my legs, they're too wobbly', 'Mabel can you get me a Pitt Cola? My legs won't stop shaking'; like that's any different from _normal_ Dipper. 'Uagh! A scary beast, Mabel, help me get a picture, my hands are too shaky!' and 'My weak noodle legs won't stop shaking, Mabel, I don't think I can walk another step'!"

"Hey!" Dipper punched her arm playfully. She punched him back- much harder, if he was being honest as he rubbed at the new sore spot- laughing all the while.

"I speak only the truth! You cannot silence me!" Mabel exclaimed, stomping her hooves for added effect. She held her power pose with her arms stretched above her for a few seconds before she relaxed. "Soo, someone was up early, huh? What happened to the days where _I_ woke up before you?" 

Mabel took Dipper's prior place in front of the window, combing through her hair. The teen in question trotted quietly over to the arm chair, grabbing his signature vest.

"You're only up before me when you're enacting evil plans," he muttered, "besides, the Shack reopens today."

Mabel gave him a dubious look, through her reflection. "Aaand you're excited becauuuse?? You wanna work??" She drawled, trying to make sense of it.

"What? No, of course not- the Shack reopening means _Steven_ 's coming back. I'm still no closer to cracking the mystery of what he is, and Ford still won't let me ask any questions." Dipper pawed at the floor frustratedly, a nervous habit he'd picked up. "It's so inconvenient! I mean, what harm could a few questions do?"

Mabel spun on her hooves to face him as he gestured in a wide arc with his arms. "I dunno, Dipper.. I mean, you _saw_ how he reacted to, um, everything."

"Yes! You have to admit, it was _suspicious_ , Mabel. Normal people don't react that badly to a change, even one like that. Not to mention how he practically ran away from the Shack as soon as Grunkle Ford allowed him to." Dipper bit back.

"Well, maybe he had good reason to!" Mabel raised her voice, fumbling over to Dipper, who cast a panicked look around as he shushed her, slamming a hand over her mouth. Mabel reeled back. She licked his palm, resulting in him snatching his hand back and wiping it hastily on his vest.

"Ew, Mabel, gross-" he hissed, "and keep your voice down!" 

His twin shot him a look, but nevertheless she did lower her voice. She wasn't unaware of the muffled voices coming from the shop; her senses, after all, were just as heightened as Dipper's now. "I'm just saying, it's not your place to question other people's trauma. We have our own fair share; how would _you_ like it if _Steven_ stuck his nose into anything Weirdmageddon because _you_ had a panic attack?"

Dipper tensed. "That's uncalled for!"

"Is it?"

"It is!" Dipper bit back, "and for the record, that'd only make me more suspicious of _him_."

Mabel let out a frustrated noise, tossing her hands up. "Whatever! _Be_ suspicious, but don't you even think about interrogating Steven. Leave him _alone_."

And with that, she snapped her headband over her hair and trotted off towards the shop, Dipper following behind her. The short walk was tense and quiet, bar the clicks their hooves made on the wooden floors. Mabel more than once whipped him with her tail, which he swatted away from him in annoyance. However, he didn't call her out for it; even if he _was_ frustrated with her, he knew that she probably didn't have full control of the limb yet and it was mostly emotions making it lash like that.

"-spikes are duller today, aren't they?" 

The twins put frustration aside to glance at each other as they picked up an unfamiliar voice. They crossed into the shop quickly, stopping just outside of the doorway. Steven was standing behind the register and seemingly sorting money- which was _odd_ \- with a woman they'd never seen before leaning against the wall to his right. Every few seconds she'd lean over and rearrange the money, hinting to them that, yeah, Steven still didn't understand the forms of currency.

"Hmm?" Steven hummed questioningly in response to her previous question, nodding his head in thanks as she leaned forward to pluck a nickel from his pile of quarters. She bumped his shoulder with her fist as a show of 'you're welcome'.

"Your spikes." The woman repeated, "They're not as pointy as they were yesterday, biscuit."

Steven's tail wagged happily. "Oh! You noticed! I-"

"GASP!" Mabel exclaimed, startling the two older teens. Steven jerked, swiping a pile of coins off of the counter, while the woman reached towards her back as if going to grab something that wasn't there. "Doth mine eyes decieve-eth me? _Steven_ , who is _she_?"

"Mabel!" Steven breathed out, clutching his heart, "-and Dipper. Stars above, you gave me half a heart attack!"

There was a moment of pause after that as he contemplated what would actually happen if he had a heart attack. His gem would probably heal it, but would it be successful?? Would it even be a normal heart attack?? He decided it probably wasn't best to question, for now- he could ask Dr. Maheswaran at his next checkup, if it was still on his mind. Standing up from his seated position behind the register, he put a fond arm around Connie.

"This is Connie. She's gonna be working here the next couple of weeks, didn't Mr. Stan tell you?"

"NO!" Mabel whined, "He didn't! I woulda remembered him hiring someone so pretty! And human," she added as an afterthought.

"Uh- thank you?" Connie responded. She made her way over to the twins, eyes lingering on their mythological qualities in concealed curiosity. She extended a hand first to Mabel. "I'm Connie Maheswaran."

"Mahey-what-what? You're speakin' another language," Mabel joked, grabbing the extended hand. 

Connie smiled, "Maheswaran. It is a different language, but if you wanna talk about _speaking_ other languages, that's all on Steven."

Steven, from where he was behind the register, sputtered indignantly. "That was one time! How was I supposed to know I was speaking Spanish?" To which he was met with three incredulous looks. He whined in embarrassment, covering his face with his hands. "No es chistoso.."

"La piscina es oscura y solitaria." Mabel responded (quite poorly, her pronunciation in fact was quite American). She smiled cheekily, "I learned that one from a merman! He was stuck in the community pool last summer and I helped him get home."

_That_ was met with a well-intended round of laughter, even Steven smiling under his hands as he faked a pout. Connie _really_ wasn't sure if the young teen was joking or not, but she decided not to think too deeply about it (yet). Knowing the type of shenanigans Steven gets into, gem related or not, anything could be real. It took a minute for the giggles to die down, and when it did, Connie finally shook the hand she was holding. 

"Well, does Ms. Mermaid Savior have a name?"

"Mabel Pines at your service!" Mabel shook her hand eagerly, bouncing back from her irritated demeanor from a minute prior as she shook with all her might.

"Woah! What a grip. Have you ever considered picking up sword fighting or martial arts?" Connie shook her hand out, somewhat surprised at the strength the young teen had displayed. She wondered if that could be attributed to the unicorn side of her or if that girl was really just that strong.

"Nah, I'm more into the arts, y'know? Scrapbooking, baking- you just gotta try my mabelcakes sometime!- and knitting; I knit all my-" Mabel paused, growing sad with a sigh, "sweaters.."

She tugged at the sleeves of the old plaid she was wearing. Sure, it did its job and didn't look half bad, but she missed being able to show off her handiwork. The familiar weight of the sweaters she loved to knit was something she'd come to miss dearly the past week. Dipper felt a stab of panic and nudged her shoulder softly. 

"C'mon, Mabel, I'm sure, uh, Connie? Connie would love to see your work later. Nobody knits a better sweater than you!" He began, pausing as Connie spoke up.

"I wouldn't mind! Steven's given your works such high approval, I'd love to see how it holds up." 

Dipper nodded as Mabel lifted her head. He offered her a gentle smile. He hadn't forgotten their fight from earlier, but he couldn't in good conscience leave Mabel so upset. It just didn't feel right, and it left the more anxious side of him spiralling. He hated that his brain expected her to bring about the end of the world _again_ , but Mabel _was_ ruled by emotion more than anything else. And it didn't work out favorably last summer when he ignored her feelings. 

"Besides!" Steven piped up, "You figured out a way to get my clothes to work around my.. spikes. If anyone can come up with sweaters to accommodate a unicorn horn, it's you."

Mabel looked at him teary eyed. "You really think so?"

Steven shook his head, pushing himself away from the register. "I know so." He stepped to the side, extending his arms as he mentally counted down and- _oof_ , he mentally grunted as a unitaur barrelled into his stomach. He was sure it would've smarted had he not been a half-gem in a gem-influenced form. But as it was, he chuckled and let Mabel hug him.

"Thank you!" She mumbled, before letting him go and stumbling backwards a few steps in trying to go back towards her initial position. "You're right! Nothing can come between me and my sweaters!"

Dipper deadpanned at Connie. " _Nothing_ can come between her and her sweaters. I'm Dipper, by the way." 

Connie extended her hand to him, but he instead offered a fistbump. "Sorry, I, uh.. have a thing about handshakes." 

He seemed very on guard, but from what Connie had heard from Steven, the boy was like that with everyone. He looked her in the eyes very briefly, seemingly finding what he'd been looking for as he relaxed his posture. "You just got here? Stay away from the water."

Connie couldn't help but chuckle. "Ah, yeah, your great uncle gave me the same message. Steven's also explained it pretty well; suffice to say, I won't be going swimming anytime soon, don't worry."

Dipper nodded in acknowledgement and slight embarrassment; he should've expected that she'd already been briefed, besides- what kind of a greeting was that? 'Stay away from the water'? He tugged his hat lower to cover his eyes.

"Saaayyy," Mabel drawled, drawing attention back to her. She'd managed to conjure her knitting supplies from nowhere and was using the register counter to sketch out a new idea. "You and Steven seem awfully close.." She gave her best romance-expert look towards the two, waggling her eyebrows.

"He _is_ my boyfriend." Connie responded matter-of-factly. Mabel gasped loudly (obnoxiously) in response.

"Steven, you scoundrel! You never told me you had a _girlfriend_!" she squealed, bouncing on her hooves. "I've been trying to matchmake you all summer so far and you never said anything,"

"You've _what?_ "

The young teen ignored Steven's confused question, dropping her sketch to pull out a disposable camera "AND you guys are _so_ CUTE together!! Ooohhh, this makes a perfect scrapbookortunity!"

With the most steadiness Dipper had seen her move on her new legs, she rushed forward and grabbed the two of them, lining them up in front of a merch shelf, such that Mystery Shack cards were behind them. Connie and Steven shot Dipper a panicked look, to which he shrugged and mouthed, "Just go along with it."

"Okay! Act all coupley, like, hug or something," Mabel directed, holding the camera to her eye and tilting around a little to find the best angle. Steven blinked, pulling his arm up hesitantly. As he went to put it around Connie's shoulder, his partner gave him a mischievous look before seizing his hands with her own, much like they had been an hour beforehand. She stood on her tiptoes to plant a kiss directly on his forehead, causing him to give her a surprised but happy smile. His tail wagged against the floor as he leaned down to make it an easier reach. Connie grinned and threw her arm around his neck, wary of the spikes, and threw up a peace sign for the camera.

Three things happened simultaneously in response. Mabel snapped the picture, a squeal building in her throat at the same time that Stan walked into the room, having come up from the basement. His already stoney expression hardened into a stern, boss face as he began to yell at them to get back to work, getting Steven and Connie to scramble away from each other; Steven rushing back to the register, noticing he hadn't picked up the coins he'd pushed onto the floor earlier, and Connie towards the door to scout for any tourists, narrowly missing the red-furred creature making her way into the Shack at that exact moment. 

Wendy blinked in surprise, taking in the scene. "Dude, what?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good night
> 
> . I hope you guys did enjoy this chapter, even if its entirely character interaction. With this out of the way, I can move towards more plot driven chapters soon hopefully!
> 
> I also hope youse enjoyed the art I added. I got really excited when writing that scene and just had to draw it aha


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steven and Connie have the day off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT (08/16/2020):: I can confirm that my fixation on SU x GF has shifted, unfortunately. I have no intention of abandoning this fic-- in many ways, I regard this as my baby. I love this fic and the effort I've put into it, and I have a full plot layed out ahead of this; I just have to find the motivation to pick it back up. I have read every review even if I've not responded yet and I Love all of your guys' feedback and nice comments so, so, SO much. Seriously, uou guys are too kind to me. <3 <3 <3  
> Until I update again, stay safe. 
> 
> ...  
> Heyyyy its been a bit,,  
> On the one hand I finished school! Good marks, so that theoretically should have time to work on this fic,, but on the other hand..  
> *looks at new interest in The Owl House and She-Ra*  
> ... yeah.
> 
> I don't plan to abandon this fic!!  
> But if chapters slow a bit, I'm truly sorry.
> 
> That being said, I hope you enjoy!

Steven was laying down on his bed stomach down as Connie looked around his trailer. It was a small, but livable space, and one she was rather familiar with. She'd suggested his dad buy it for him way back at the start of this being-trapped-in-Gravity-Falls thing, refusing to let him bunker down in his Dondai. Greg and Connie both had worked together to bring him anything he'd need, or he'd asked for. As it was now, Connie and him had off of work, and since they'd spent most of their time the week prior in the forest, she'd decided to hang out in his trailer this time. Looking back on it, he supposed it was entirely possible that she wanted to make sure he was living healthily. He sighed, breaking the companionable silence. He really didn't deserve them, did he? They shouldn't have had to go out of their way to cater to him, when he was the one who got stuck. 

Connie glanced at him, having heard the sigh. "You okay?"

Steven tilted his head to meet her eyes, kicking his legs behind him as his arms dangled off of the bed, resting the backs of his hands on the cool floor. "Maybe." 

It wasn't a lie, he really didn't know. The past few weeks had been so mentally draining that he felt pretty empty- not necessarily bad, not necessarily good. Besides, 'okay' was pretty generic, nowhere near enough to tackle the complexity of his emotions. Connie's lips thinned but she didn't push it. She turned her attention back to his trailer, eyes brightening as she saw a familiar, yet new, object- one she hadn't seen in years.

"Woah! Did your dad bring you this?" She questioned, holding up a ukulele. It wasn't his old one, rather one that looked relatively plain in comparison. 

Steven strained to look at what she had, propping himself up on his elbows. "Hmm? Oh, yeah."

"I didn't know you still played. I haven't heard you play an instrument since, like," she paused, _since before Spinel_ , she continued mentally. She decided against speaking that thought, though. "Since a few years ago."

"I've been dabbling," Steven chuckled, working his way to a sitting position. "My therapist suggested picking up old hobbies that I abandoned, and music was pretty easy to latch back onto. I haven't picked that up since the Change, though, because, you know.."

Connie turned to face him just in time to see him flex his claws in disdain. She crossed the short distance quickly, pressing the ukulele into his hands. It was almost comically small in his grasp, and he gently fumbled with it in surprise. He held it up in one hand, afraid to crush it or set it down somewhere where his tail could smash it.

"Well, a little birdie told me you've been dulling your claws lately anyways," she grabbed his free hand and poked his claws into her palm. It didn't even sting, but Steven yanked his hand away regardless.

"Don't do that!" He hissed. However, he had to admit she did have a point. His claws were rounded little stubs, something he'd been working to shapeshift before he'd realized this was his physical form and he could actually file them down. Lowering the arm holding the ukulele, he placed his palm on the base, tapping his fingers lightly against it. Curiously, he strummed out the basic solfege, the first few notes almost inaudible as he held back lest he snap strings. He perked up as nothing happened, working into a few standard melodies. He was a little rusty, but having played music since he could walk had its advantages.

The bed dipped slightly as Connie sat beside him, and he shot her a small, happy smile. The song he was playing morphed into the familiar tune of their first song, the origins of Jam Buds themselves. Connie gasped, slapping him lightly on the arm.

"Not fair! You can't play that if I don't have my violin. That's like a biscuit with no jam!" 

"Jamless biscuits have their merits!" he retorted playfully. As he opened his mouth to add onto that statement, the familiar tune of a Sadie Killer and the Suspects song stole their attention. "That's odd, the gems aren't supposed to call till tomorrow.."

His phone was lit up on his shelf and he sighed, sliding off of the bed to grab it after handing the ukulele to Connie. He blinked at the caller ID.

"Who is it?" Connie asked curiously.

"Mr. Pines," he said, before sliding the call button and putting it on speaker. "Hello?"

" _Steven_ !" The gravelly voice of his boss met his ears. " _Look, I know we gave youse the day off, but me 'n Ford-_ " 

" _Ford and I, Stanley-_ "

" _Ford and I_ _are gonna go traverse the wilderness, and I don't think you're up to anything else today so get your butt over here-_ " there was shuffling, as Ford presumably wrestled the phone from his twin. Steven shared a look with Connie. 

" _Ahem- sorry, Steven, you know my brother's tact.. or lack thereof. Anywho, I wanted to try and find the stream and according to my notes, everything should be aligned for the stream to be in a known location today. Thing is, Stanley's new instincts have been making him anxious-_ "

" _I'm not anxious_!"

" _-to leave the home unguarded, so we were wondering if you could head over, keep an eye on the place?"_ Ford explained, ignoring Stanley's interruption.

"Oh- uh," Steven stuttered. "I don't.. It shouldn't be a problem, sir. Can I take Connie with me?"

" _Connie's with you_ ?" Stanley's voice came through the phone loudly as he snatched it. " _Am I on the speakers? Connie? I beg you, please go with Steven. I love ya, Steve-o, but you're not my first choice for house sitting. No offense,_ "

Steven shrugged with a wince, although the old man couldn't see it. "None taken?" He was well aware he was a bit too trusting and naive. And, well, his tail was a hazard in and of itself. 

Connie shot him a look, before leaning closer to the phone. "Don't worry, Mr. Pines. I'll be there."

* * *

"Thank you kids for coming," Ford greeted them at the door, his tail curling behind him. "You both will be getting paid extra for your time."

"But not too much extra!" Stan grouched, pushing his twin through the door. His left wing caught on the frame, eliciting a sharp yelp and a glare from Ford. Stanley mirrored his yelp as the assault on the doorway tugged on his instincts. The man froze, embarrassed by the noise, and he coughed into his fist.

Ford spread his wing in front of him and idly inspected for any injuries as he smoothed the feathers. "The twins are inside. I think they were rewatching Ducktective last I checked, so they shouldn't be up to much trouble." He flared his wings, content with his inspection. "Again, thank you for coming in on your day off-"

"They get it, poindexter," Stan groaned, tossing Ford's bag at him. "Thank you this, thank you that. They're getting paid, they don't need niceties on top."

Ford's tail smacked at Stanley's legs, lashing in frustration. He did, however, nod at his twin and clip the bag over his shoulder- he'd had Mabel cut and sew the strap because pulling anything over his wings was impossible- taking a few steps down off of the wooden flooring to the grassy path. "We should be back before the sun goes down, so don't worry about having to sleep over or anything. Just watch the kids, watch the Shack, don't break anything."

"Got it," Steven piped up. "You can count on us." 

Connie patted him on the back when Stan eyed the teen dubiously. Stan coughed, "Right, yeah, both of you. We can totally count on both of you." To which Ford gave him a well-earned smack upside the head, followed by him pushing his brother away from the two as he began to fuss.

The two teens watched them, amused, until they disappeared into the forest. As soon as they were gone, Steven heaved a sigh and dropped his forced cheerful demeanor. Connie frowned.

"Are you sure you're okay with being here?? I could totally watch the Shack alone. Or, we could call Wendy in and bribe her or something." She questioned, watching her boyfriend hunch slightly. 

"No, yeah," Steven replied, "I'm fine. With being here, I mean." He added the last bit hastily, knowing 'I'm fine' was somewhat of a concerning phrase nowadays, coming from him. They'd been working to banish it from his knee-jerk responses, but it still slipped through the cracks

At her dubious look, he shook the ukulele in his hand gently. "We were playing this before the call. I can keep playing in the Shack. Really, the only difference from before is the location. And the kids. But they shouldn't be a problem."

"Right." Connie gave him a look again, "Well, if it gets to be too much or something, you tell me. Today was our day off, you don't need all the extra stress."

"It'll be fine! I'll be okay," Steven insisted, nudging her towards the door. 

The two walked into the Shack through the gift shop entrance, closing and locking the door behind them. While Connie hadn't really explored the house portion of it, Steven had had plenty of time to get acquainted and easily led her towards the living room. He stopped at the doorway, rapping his knuckles against the doorframe. The twins' heads snapped to look at him at an almost alarmingly fast pace, making him pause in surprise. Dipper reached over Mabel for the remote, pausing the movie and almost knocking over her bowl of popcorn, to which she blew a raspberry at him.

"Just wanted to let you guys know we're here. We'll be upstairs- I'm going to be playing my ukulele, I don't want the music to interfere with your movie- so.. holler if you need us." Steven explained awkwardly. 

"Dipper! I told you it's not embarrassing to be a guy playing an instrument!" Mabel gestured towards the doorway.

Steven guffawed, easing a little bit of Connie's tension as she realized it was genuine. "Who told him it was?" His tone was incredulous.

Dipper glared at Mabel hissing at her to shut up. Mabel, in fact, did not shut up. "I dunno if anyone _told_ him, but he's got this whole thing about manliness.."

Connie nodded thoughtfully. "It's not an uncommon idea that playing instruments isn't 'manly'. Band kids are often teased in school, especially the guys."

"What?!" Steven exclaimed. "Why?? Playing an instrument is awesome. What does it matter if it's 'manly' or not??"

Connie shrugged. She herself never really cared about all of that, if something made someone happy she let them be. She glanced at Dipper, seeing him rub his arm self-consciously, a red blush tinting his cheeks. His ears were pressed tightly against his head. If he were standing, she was sure he'd have been pawing the ground with his hooves. She stood up straight, nudging Steven, who followed her gaze and blinked in understanding. 

"Well, I for one think playing instruments is super manly. It gave my dad the money he uses to provide for him and I! If that's not manly, I don't know what is." He declared, punctuating the end of the sentence with a soft strum. He placed his hand down on the strings, feeling them cease vibrations against his palm. Mabel shot him a grateful look.

"Mhmm, yes, well," Dipper began, voice cracking. He winced, clearing his throat before continuing. "Can we get back to the movie now?"

It was clear he was uncomfortable and wanted the conversation over. Connie and Steven obliged, giving them one last reminder to call for them if they needed anything before traipsing upstairs. Neither noticed Dipper's calculating stare follow after them.

Dipper turned to his twin as soon as they were out of earshot, turning the movie back on but lowering the volume slightly.

"I don't like that look," Mabel sighed, "that's your 'I have a stupid plan' look."

"You said I couldn't interrogate Steven," Dipper started, hurrying along as Mabel groaned, "god, wait! I'm not even arguing on that one anymore. No, I have a plan-"

"No."

"- if I can get Connie alone, I can ask _her_ questions instead-"

"No."

"Would you let me finish?!" He exclaimed, ears flat in annoyance. He froze, ears trained towards the ceiling to listen for any sign that the teens had heard his outburst and decided to investigate. Mabel, to her credit, remained silent until he relaxed. 

"Dipper, these are our _friends_. Friends don't interrogate friends! Besides, Grunkle Ford told you to leave Steven alone."

"Exactly. He told me to leave _Steven_ alone, he never said anything about Connie!" Dipper reasoned. "Look, I won't even be obvious about it. She won't know."

Mabel sent him a look that made it clear she didn't believe him, but nonetheless threw her arms up. "Ugh, fine! I won't be able to stop you anyways, not once you've got a _plan_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)
> 
> Anyways. This chapter was actually going to be longer but I felt it was appropriate to split it into two chapters- especially considering it's already 2k words.

**Author's Note:**

> If it wasnt clear; instead of whatever creature he could become, Steven's gem kinda made the effect of the stream wonky and he ended up a small version of Worm


End file.
